Newsletter

House speaker discusses health care in Oconee

Representative Doug McKillip, R-Athens, speaks with a supporter during a fundraiser at Springhill Suites in Athens, Ga., Wednesday, July 11, 2012. (AJ Reynolds/Staff)

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston believes state officials might be able to forego decisions on implementing Affordable Care Act provisions if November’s elections put Republicans in power.

Ralston visited Oconee County on Wednesday during a campaign event for Rep. Doug McKillip, R-Athens, and spoke about current health care issues and the area’s redistricting.

Georgia lawmakers haven’t decided whether the state will participate in the expansion of Medicaid under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Ralston said.

Gov. Nathan Deal requested that the Georgia General assembly hold off on that issue until after this year’s general elections, he said.

“People are scared that their government is going to take over their health care,” he said.

Also, expanding Medicaid could break the state’s budget, he said.

However, Ralston wants state officials to continue working on another provision of the Affordable Care Act, the insurance exchanges, which have to be in place by 2014, he said.

Ralston would rather see Georgia set up its own insurance exchange – marketplaces where people can compare and buy health insurance – than use a federal model. If the state has to comply with the federal law, it would be better to have an exchange in place that was created for Georgians, he said.

The state Legislature decided to drop the issue of insurance exchanges during its last session, and might have to call a special session in order to set up an exchange in time for the 2014 deadline.

Ralston also talked about redistricting, denying claims that McKillip’s district, which includes portions of Oconee, Jackson, Barrow and Clarke counties, was designed to dilute the number of Democratic voters. McKillip switched parties in 2010.

There’s no way he could tailor a redistricting for the Athens Republican, Ralston said.

“If I can’t tailor one for myself, how can I tailor one for Doug McKillip?” he asked.